Acid Trip
by Kami Itami
Summary: Short story. Alex and his friend Maxwell are tripping on acid while playing Final Fantasy X. Nuff said.


The walls of the room began to melt away, and the floors soon joined them. Alex felt the power of the acid as he sat alone in space. Pink Floyd's lyrics blasted through his mind and found their place in the empty darkness that had now surrounded Alex.  
  
As the song reached it's peak…  
  
"It was dark all around!"  
  
Alex looked up and saw the universe. All the planets revolving around him, as if he were god of his own existence. A cold shiver crept up his spine as he watched, in awe, the splendor of God's kingdom.  
  
"There was frost in the ground!"  
  
Alex sat up and watched a shooting star fly by where the door to his home once stood.  
  
"When the Tigers Broke Free!"  
  
The room returned as Alex jumped up and off the couch he had been sitting on. The only light being that of the television as Final Fantasy 10 was being played by Alex's friend, Maxwell. Maxwell looked at Alex as he jumped off the couch.  
  
"You all right, man?" asked Maxwell. Alex looked at Maxwell for a second before realizing that he was there. Alex rubbed his face with both hands.  
  
"Goddamn, dude, I am tripping my fucking balls off!" said Alex as he reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Maxwell smiled and returned his attention to the game.  
  
"I told you, man. This is that blotter acid shit that we heard 'em talking about in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It's got me out in the land too," said Maxwell. Alex lit his cigarette. Pink Floyd's "When the Tigers Broke Free" was rounding out its final notes when Alex walked into the dining room and turned the stereo off.  
  
"Hey, man," Maxwell said from within the living room, "I was wanting to hear 'Learning to Fly' before we took Floyd out. If that song ain't about tripping I don't know what is."  
  
"I just need some silence for a second, dude," said Alex, "Turn up the volume on the game." Maxwell did just that as Alex was searching the refrigerator for something cold to drink. His hands finally caught hold of a beer. Alex pulled the beer out of the fridge and popped the top.  
  
"Ah, Budweiser, I love you," said Alex after downing half the beer. He walked back into the living room and took a seat on the couch. Maxwell looked at him and smiled.  
  
"Man, I was about to ask you how you could drink beer while tripping," said Maxwell, "but then I remembered who I was talking to." Alex laughed as he took another swig out of his beer. Alex went to look at his surroundings and found it very difficult with the lights off.  
  
"Hey, man, I'm gonna turn this light on for a little bit and get my shit together," said Alex.  
  
"Go ahead, man," said Maxwell as he Overkilled his umpteenth foe. Alex reached to the side of the couch and turned on a lamp. Light flooded his corner of the room, and Alex felt comfortable immediately.  
  
Comfortably numb, thought Alex. He took another swig out of his beer and realized that he was due for a refill. He got up and walked to the kitchen as he killed the rest of his beer. He threw the can in the "beer money" box and opened up the refrigerator.  
  
"Hey, Max," said Alex, "You want something to drink while I'm up?"  
  
"Sure, man," said Maxwell.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Anything but a beer at this moment in time."  
  
"How about some tea?"  
  
"That'll work."  
  
Alex grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and put a few cubes of ice in it before pouring Maxwell his glass of tea. Alex grabbed another beer and closed the refrigerator. He walked back into the living room and handed Maxwell his glass of tea.  
  
"Thanks, man," said Maxwell.  
  
"Ya' velcome," said Alex in a German accent as he sat down on the couch. Alex took the last drag off of his cigarette and put it out.  
  
"Ya' know what?" asked Alex.  
  
"What's that, man?" asked Maxwell.  
  
"I'm gonna go outside for a minute," said Alex as he got up and walked out the front door. He thought that he heard Maxwell say Good luck as he shut the door behind him.  
  
Good luck? The fuck is that supposed to mean? he thought. Alex popped the top on his beer and took a couple of gulps before walking around to the side of the house. He took a seat in the grass and looked up at the sky. The stars reminded him of his earlier experience.  
  
"I was there with ya' a second ago, boys," he said to no one in particular. Alex looked down and noticed, for the first time, how cool his grass looked. The grass seemed to be swaying back and forth in the nonexistent breeze. Alex reached his hand out and felt the grass, then he decided that it would be a good idea to lie down. He set his beer down on the carport directly behind him and laid down on the lawn. His eyes focused in on the stars as they danced for him.  
  
Alex eventually drifted off to semi-consciousness as Maxwell, apparently, put some more music on the stereo. The mellow sounds of Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" reached Alex as he lightly snoozed on the lawn. 


End file.
